Chapter 690
Changshi.
When Li Heng arrived, it was already past 2 p.m.
As soon as he stepped out of the bus station, he met Li Fang, the assistant from Daqingyi, come to pick him up.
Li Heng looked around and asked, “Where’s your boss?”
The female assistant Li Fang said, “Miss Huang has some family matters to handle and returned to Hushi the day before yesterday.”
Li Heng was surprised and pressed, “When will she be back?”
The female assistant replied, “That’s still unclear for now.”
Hearing this, Li Heng stopped asking and said, “Take me to her house.”
The female assistant got in the car and immediately drove toward Huang Zhao’s home.
Daqingyi owns two houses in Changshi, one located in the old district of Kaifu.
“You go ahead and attend to your duties—I don’t need you to look after me. I’ll leave in two days,” he told the assistant upon arriving.
“Understood, Mr. Li,” the assistant replied, pulling out the house key and handing it to him.
Taking the key from the assistant, Li Heng opened the door and stepped inside; the interior was simply and traditionally decorated, warm and cozy—perfect for him.
After a shower and a short rest, he turned on the air conditioning, then called the Drum Tower in Jingcheng—but no one answered.
He then called the pastry shop, and Jiaojiao picked up.
Li Heng asked, “Jiaojiao, is my second sister there?”
Jiaojiao said, “No, she went out to eat with Wang Ye.”
Li Heng was startled—when had his second sister become so close to Wang Ye?
He followed up, “What about my parents?”
Jiaojiao countered, “They’re still back home—you didn’t know?”
This caught him off guard again; after a moment’s thought, he asked, “Do my second sister and Wang Ye communicate often?”
Jiaojiao said, “They’ve been in touch more frequently lately.”
Hearing this, Li Heng chatted casually with his childhood friend for two minutes, then hung up.
His second call was to Dongtinghu.
“Ding ling ling.”
“Ding ling ling.”
After two rings, Jiang Yue’s voice came through: “Hello, who’s this?”
Li Heng introduced himself: “Auntie, good afternoon, it’s Li Heng.”
Upon hearing his name, Jiang Yue looked at the receiver in her hand with mixed emotions. “Good afternoon. Are you looking for Yu Bao?”
Li Heng smiled and said, “Yes, is she home?”
Jiang Yue said, “Wait a moment—she’s upstairs in her bedroom.”
“Thank you, Auntie,” Li Heng said.
Over a minute later, the receiver passed into Song Yu’s hands. “Li Heng, where are you?”
Li Heng said, “I’m in Changshi.”
Song Yu glanced at her mother beside her and asked cautiously, “Are you in Changshi for something? Or...?”
Li Heng said, “I’m waiting for Man Ning to join me; otherwise, I’d already be heading to Dongtinghu to find you.”
Song Yu asked with a faint smile, “So when will you two come?”
Li Heng said, “The 18th. We’ll probably arrive in the evening.”
Song Yu said, “Alright, I’ll come to the county bus station to pick you up.”
Li Heng said happily, “Great, sounds good.”
Since elders were nearby, they couldn’t discuss many topics, and the call ended in under ten minutes.
After her daughter hung up, Jiang Yue, who had remained silent until now, asked, “Is Li Heng coming over?”
Song Yu said, “Yes, Man Ning will be coming too.”
Jiang Yue asked, “How long does he plan to stay this time?”
Song Yu said, “We’ve discussed it—he might stay about a month.”
End of Chapter
